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Sunday, January 24, 2010

By way of background: Chateau Angelus in the Saint-Emilion region of Bordeaux, France, owes its name and its label image to the bells which can be heard from three churches in the vicinity. For 2007, the vintage we are trying here, approximately 100,000 bottles of red wine were produced, a blend of 50% merlot, 47% cabernet franc and 3% cabernet sauvignon, all aged between 18-22 months in new oak.

In the glass: Chateau Angelus shows as mid deep red in the glass.

On the nose: Poured without a decant and swirled vigorously, this red Bordeaux sports a strong bold nose of charcoal-broiled, day-old socks -- this is much nicer than it sounds.

On the palate: The first element on the palate is an even, mid-red cherry and charcoal element. Then licorice comes along too.

And the finish: Licorice merges with dry cherries to wrap up the sip.

In summary: Overall, solid and approachable experience for such a young release. Rates a full three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale.